Fabrication of high-strength mecobalamin loaded aligned silk fibroin scaffolds for guiding neuronal orientation

Suitable micro/nanofibers orientation in tissue engineered scaffold could guide cells outgrowth and migration during tissue regeneration. However, it is still a challenge to prepare a simple, high-strength and aligned fibers scaffold. Herein, we report a facile strategy to construct high-strength silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds with aligned fibers orientation by crosslinking aligned SF fibers with regenerated SF solution for guiding neuronal growth direction. The fibers could be easily controlled within the same orientation. The aligned fibers and protein protein interfacial bonding between SF fibers and regenerated SF solution reinforced the mechanical properties to form a high-strength scaffold. Schwann cells and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuron could migrate along with the uniform orientation of scaffolds. Mecobalamin was loaded into aligned SF scaffold to promote neurite growth and neuron survival through methylation cycle by activation of Erk1/2 and Akt. Additionally, mecobalamin loaded aligned SF scaffold demonstrated good biocompatibility, inflammatory cells also showed decreased profiles with time extensions. This facile strategy could enrich the fabrication methods to prepare aligned fibers scaffolds in the tissue engineering.